The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-12-23
Annual Report of the Commissioner
of Agriculture.

Of Agriculture.
The commissioner recommends the
abolition of the seed division of the
department and the transfer Of its
duties to the state and territorial e1-
pertinent stations. He is of the opin'
ion that the directors of these insti-
tutions ought to know what kind Of
seeds the farmers of their respective
neighborhoods are interested in and
what kinds are best adapted to each To-
cality. The scope and functions of the
department are discussed in such way
as to show that the commissions is not
in favor of the idea to make it an ex-
ecutive department with Secretary of
Agriculture in the Cabinet. The COM
missioner says it is yet too early to make
an official statement of the results in
detail of the present years expert.
ments in the development of the
sorghum sugar manufacture. "But
enough is known already" he says, 81
think, to enable this country to antici-
pate at an early day the production of
sugar supply from plant as easy of
cultivation as corn, but little circum-
scribed by climatic influences and one
whose by.products have a value equal
to the cost of raising"
The work of the bureau of animal
industry, the report says, has been
greatly extended during the past year.
The Governors of thirty one states and
territories have accepted the rules and
regulations of the bureau and promised
the assistance of local police officers to
secure their enforce ment. In addition
the legislatures of Rhode Island, Vir.
ginia, New York and Illinois have en-.
acted laws providing for corporation.
The work Of the bureau has thus been
carried on in all the States where pleu
ro-pneumonia has been known to exist
except Pennsylvania, whose authorities
found but few infected herds, and re-
ported that these were promptly dispos-
ed of according to state law, The
worst infected counties and those from
which there was the most danger of the
spread of the disease, viz: Cook county
in Illinois: Westchester, Richmond,
Kings, Queens and Suffolk in New
York; Baltimore, Howard, Carroll and
Prince 'eorge's in Maryland, have
been placed in quarantine and no cattle
allowed to leave them without permit
issued after special examination. By
this means new outbreaks have been
almost entirely prevented. Before these
regulations were made the contagion
was carried to the counties of Washing
ton and Delaware, in the state Of New
York, and quite widely disseminated.
1t was stamped out, however, without
any serious interference with the trade
and commerce Of these sections. 1t
was also carried into several counties Of
New Jersey, but in most of these cases
it has been extirpated. From the be-
ginning of the work for the eradication
of this disease, in August, 1886, to Oc-
tober, 1887, the inspectors of this bu-
reau have carefully inspected 1887
herds, containing III, ,48O animals, in
districts where the plague was supposed
to exist. Among these were found 79o
infected herds, containing 10,706 ami
mails, of which 1926 were affected with
pleuro-pneumonia. These figures do
not include 2,873 head of cattle in the
distillery stables Of Chicago, nearly
half of which were diseased. The re-
striotions placed upon the movement
of cattle from Illinois by the authorities
of other states and territories are being
removed, and within short time this
interstate traffic will again be carried
on with entire freedom. There has
not been a time in years when this
malady has been confined to such re-
stricted areas as at present, and conse-
quently the conditions are very favor
able for its complete era dication. If
the state authorities continue their CO.
operation as at present, which there is
every reason to expect, and if an apprO'
priation is pade by Congress equal to
that of the present fiscal year, and
with authority for its similar use, it is